In Africa, a fourth country may soon introduce a citizenship by investment program — Ghana. The country’s Parliament has passed a bill that, for the first time, includes a mechanism for acquiring citizenship through investment.
At this stage, however, the law merely authorised the Ministry of the Interior to develop the relevant regulations, without specifying costs, minimum investment amounts, or processing timelines. In practice, the provision does not create an actual program: there are no donation options, real estate investments, investment funds, or defined processing periods. It simply establishes a legal foundation, and, as experience from other countries shows, implementation could take anywhere from several months to several years.
Not Ghana’s First Attempt
The idea of citizenship by investment has been discussed before. In 2024, an independent presidential candidate proposed selling citizenship to one million investors of African descent for $50,000 each. The initiative was never implemented.
Other Programs in Development
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is also actively moving forward with plans for a citizenship by investment program. In May, the government officially outlined the framework of the future scheme, with a launch planned for mid-2026.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines remained the last independent member of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States that had not yet introduced a citizenship by investment (CBI) program.
The launch is taking place against a backdrop of growing external pressure. In January, Washington suspended the processing of immigration visas for 75 countries, including Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, despite the absence of an active CBI program there. In a report published in December, Brussels identified citizenship by investment programs as a potential ground for suspending visa-free access to the Schengen Area and called for the gradual closure of such schemes or stricter requirements for investors.
